THE BASICS

Score: Ohio 99, DePaul 78

Location: 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic - Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu, Hawaii

The Short Story: Powered by a huge performance by redshirt senior guard Javarez Willis (Homer, La.), the Ohio men's basketball team (4-5) dominated DePaul (6-6), 99-78, on Tuesday (Dec. 22) in a 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic consolation game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

OHIO STARTERS: #3 Javarez Willis, #5 Maurice Ndour, #14 Ryan Taylor, #24 Mike Laster, #33 Antonio Campbell  

DEPAUL STARTERS: #2 Tommy Hamilton IV, #4 Myke Henry, #5 Billy Garrett Jr., #21 Jamee Crockett, #25 Durrell McDonald

HOW IT HAPPENED 

- Ohio set a Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic record with 99 points -- the most since Indiana State edged Ole Miss, 87-85, in overtime in 2012.

- The Bobcats shot 59.4 percent (38-of-64) - including 63.3 percent (19-of-30) in the second. Ohio converted at a 41.7 percent (10-of-24) clip from beyond the arc, making 50 (6-of-12) percent of their attempts over the final 20 minutes of play. 

- Willis scored a career-high 31 points to lead all scorers and matched his career high by dishing out a game-high six assists. He also grabbed two rebounds and collected a steal. Willis went 11-of-18 from the field -- including 7-of-14 from three-point land.

- Redshirt junior forward Treg Setty (Maysville, Ky.) enjoyed his most productive offensive outing as a Bobcat, scoring a season-high 17 points off of 7-of-9 shooting. He just missed out on a double-double, hauling in a season-high nine rebounds. Setty also handed out a season-high three assists and collecting a season-high two steals.

- Freshman guard Ryan Taylor (Gary, Ind.) finished in double digits for a second straight game with 17 points by way of 6-of-8 shooting. He also tallied three rebounds and a block.  

- Senior forward Maurice Ndour (Mbour, Senegal) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He matched his career high with four assists, set a new season high with three steals and posted a block.

- Sophomore forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio) also tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

- The Blue Demons scored the game's first basket on a layup by senior forward Jamee Crockett, but that's the last time DePaul led in the contest. Ohio countered with a 9-0 run that forward DePaul to burn a timeout as Willis scored four points and Taylor nailed a trey to spark the spurt.

- Ohio built its lead up to 12 with 11:10 left in the half when Willis hit another three to make it 24-12. DePaul countered with a 15-5 run that was capped by a trey from sophomore guard Billy Garrett Jr., shaving the Bobcat lead down to two at 29-27.

- The Bobcats answered the challenge by closing the half out on a 15-3 run, giving Ohio its largest halftime lead of the season to date at 44-30. Setty totaled six points during the stretch while Willis contributed four.

- Ohio never led by less than 11 points the remainder of the contest, with a highlight-reel alley oop dunk from Setty to Ndour giving the Bobcats their largest lead of the game at 27 with 2:25 to go and Ohio holding a 95-68 advantage.

- Five Blue Demons reached double figures, with sophomore guard Darrick Wood leading the way with 15 points off of the bench. 

- Garrett Jr. and sophomore center Tommy Hamilton IV each added 13. Garrett Jr. also distributed a team-high four assists. 

- Senior forward Forrest Robinson and junior guard Aaron Simpson posted 12 and 10, respectively, off of the bench. Robinson also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and three steals.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- Willis matched the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic record with seven three-point field goals made, sharing distinction with Marshall Henderson of Ole Miss, who achieved the feat in 2012. He is the first Bobcat to make seven threes in a game since D.J. Cooper did so on March 1, 2011, in an 80-55 thumping of Akron. Willis is the first Ohio player to attempt 14 three pointers in a game since Tommy Freeman did so on March 7, 2010, in an 85-77 win at Ball State in the first round of the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament. He is the first Bobcat to score 30 or more points in a game since Nick Kellogg scored 30 against VMI in 92-90 loss on March 26, 2014, in the College Insider Tournament. Willis reached double figures for the sixth time this season and 15th time in his career and led Ohio in points for the fourth time this season and assists for the sixth time.

- Setty achieved double digits in scoring for the second time in his career.

- Taylor recorded the fifth double-digit effort of his young career.

- Ndour posted his fourth double-double of the year and eighth of his career while Campbell posted his third of the season. Ndour has hauled in double-digit rebounds five times this season and 11 times in his career.

- Freshman forward Sam Frayer (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored his first career points off of a layup with 29 seconds to play. 

- Ohio is now 1-1 in the 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic after falling to George Washington, 77-49, on Monday (Dec. 22). 

- Ohio is now 7-4 all-time in games played in the Aloha State.

- The Bobcats picked up their fourth win all-time over DePaul.

QUOTABLE

First-Year Head Coach Saul Phillips

- "We didn't feel real good walking out of this building (on Monday) and it wasn't real pleasant back watching film. Our guys responded like winners respond, and that's a good thing."

Redshirt Senior Guard Javarez Willis

- "We've been struggling for a win. We don't want to come down here and go 0-3. We lost the first one by 30 and you know our team, we've got the type of team where sometimes we need that. I'm not happy we lost by 30, but I think it woke us up."

UP NEXT

Ohio will battle the winner of Tuesday's consolation game between Nebraska and Loyola Marymount on Thursday (Dec. 25) in the fifth-place game of the 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The matchup is slated to tip off at 4 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

#SaulBall